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© John Akomfrah Still taken from Mimesis: African Soldier by John Akomfrah, co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, New Art Exchange, Nottingham and Smoking Dogs Films, with additional support from Sharjah Art Foundation
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Work of the South African Labour Contingent in France, 1917 © IWM (413)
Exhibition
Mimesis: African Soldier
21 Sep 2018 – 31 Mar 2019
Regular hours
- Friday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Sunday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Monday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 18:00
Address
- Lambeth Road
- London
- SE1 6HZ
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Bus: 1, 3, 12, 45, 53, 59, 63, 68, 100, 159, 168, 171, 172, 176,188, 344, 360, 453, C10)
- Tube: Lambeth North (Bakerloo Line) Waterloo (Bakerloo, Northern, Jubilee Line) Southwark (Jubilee Line) Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo, Northern Line)
John Akomfrah's new multimedia installation remembers the millions of Africans and people of colour from across the globe who fought and took part in the First World War.
About
The First World War was waged between empires that were global in their ambitions and reach. Between 1914 and 1918, millions of African and colonial soldiers served in long campaigns that spanned the whole of the African and European continents, contributing to victories throughout the First World War. These soldiers from British and French African territories were brought to Europe’s western front, where hundreds and thousands lost their lives alongside unknown, unheralded and undocumented African labourers and carriers. Mimesis: African Soldier seeks to commemorate these Africans and colonial soldiers who fought, served and died during the First World War.
This new multi-screen installation by artist John Akomfrah remembers the millions of African and colonial soldiers, labourers and carriers who served in the First World War. Projected onto three screens, the artwork combines newly created film, shot by Akomfrah in locations around the world, a powerful sound score and historic footage that speak to the African experience of the First World War.
John Akomfrah is best known for his multi-screen installations, such as Purple (2017), Precarity (2017) and Vertigo Sea (2015). Since founding the influential Black Audio Film Collective in 1982, his work has taken on a multi-layered visual style that fuses archival material and newly shot footage. Continuing this practice, Mimesis: African Soldiersees Akomfrah use historic film, including material from IWM’s extensive archive, to tell some of the lesser known stories of the First World War.
Mimesis: African Soldier is part of Making a New World, a season of innovative exhibitions, installations and immersive experiences at IWM London and IWM North which explore how the First World War has shaped the society we live in today.
The work is co‐commissioned by New Art Exchange, Nottingham, Smoking Dogs Films and 14‐18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, with additional support from Sharjah Art Foundation.
